Healing in Him

Life Events

Over the last three years, Longing for Eden has experienced a number of life-altering events. For the sake of fans that are unaware of those events, here is a listing of the most significant.

On February 18, 2015, Gene and Jeanne Miller’s (Bass / Singer and Keyboard) house suddenly caught fire from an electrical problem, and the fire destroyed the roof and third floor. Most of their clothes were lost, and the repairs were extensive. The family was displaced from their home for months as the repairs were made.

Paul Williams, the husband of Marie Williams (Singer) went home to be with his Lord May 18, 2015. Paul’s death was very sudden. He fell and struck his head, and several days later, he was gone! Everyone was stunned and shaken by his death. As you can imagine, Marie, and their son Jared, deeply miss their husband and father.

Once again tragedy struck. Derek Christian Thomas, 25, Philip’s son (Singer and Guitar), suddenly passed away on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Derek died of an overdose. While we knew that Derek was struggling, this was what every parent fears when a child is caught in an addictive cycle. Once again, everyone was stunned and shaken by his death. It is never God’s intention for a parent to bury a child, and learning to live with a “new normal” is never easy.

During this same time frame, Kevin and Lydia Yoder (Drummer / Singer) felt led to include two young children into their family. The children were in a severely broken family situation. Bringing them into their family required selling their home in Pennsylvania, and moving to a new home in Maryland. Selling, purchasing, and remodeling, are very stressful under “normal” circumstances. What has added to the struggle is also seeking to help others in the children’s family to move toward more healthy lifestyles. It has also taken Lydia on a journey to understand children who come from hard places, as well as issues with mental health.

During this time we also said final good byes to Philip’s Father, Mandy’s (Eric’s wife) Mother, and Billy’s (Guitar Player) Mother.

In addition to these major events, there have been many other less obvious situations that seem to consume daily energy and focus.

We know that God’s grace is always sufficient, but we also know that we need to allow time for healing and adjustment in order to be ready to reinvest with vigor.